Report: China plans manned space launch this month
China will launch astronauts this month to dock for the first time with an orbiting experimental module, the country's space program announced Saturday.
A rocket carrying the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft was moved to a launch pad in China's desert northwest in preparation for the mid-June flight, according to an unidentified space program spokesman cited by the official Xinhua News Agency. Xinhua said earlier the flight will carry three astronauts who will dock with and live in the Tiangong 1 orbital module. (AP)
